Halfmoon Wildlife Corridor

The Halfmoon Wildlife Corridor Project would secure a permanent connection between State Game Land 176 and Bald Eagle Mountain

Type of Project

Land acquisition

Total Project Cost

$720,000

Funds Raised

$567,000

Funds Needed

$153,000

Project Sponsors

Clearwater Conservancy

Final Ownership

Clearwater Conservancy

Size

106 acres

Final Ownership

Project Overview

A pocket of ecological treasures, the Scotia Barrens is an exceptional ecosystem of rare community types. Many of the wildlife species which call the Scotia Barrens home would disappear from the region if the barrens habitat were lost. Because of its close proximity to the growing community of State College, residential development threatens to consume large pockets of this rare habitat and isolate it from other nearby nature areas.

Project Benefits

This distinctive shrub-scrub habitat hosts several extremely rare species, including golden-winged warbler, Appalachian cottontail, barrens buckmoth, and northeastern bulrush and has been recognized as an Important Bird Area by Pennsylvania Audubon, an Important Mammal Area by the National Wildlife Federation, and as a Biological Diversity Area by the Centre County Natural Heritage Inventory conducted by the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy. The Barrens also provide a haven for rare insects, pool-dependent amphibians, and large numbers of neotropical songbirds.